Approval
by juliette729
Summary: Nessie has finally been able to go to a regular HS, prom is approaching and what will Edward think of the dress Rose and Alice bought her.Another Cullen family moment. Edward/Nessie


**A/N: I am not Stephenie Meyer, nor do I claim to be.**

**I remembered the long days shopping for prom dresses with my mom and then going home to model my choice for my dad. Thought it might be something Nessie did once she was ever able to blend into society a bit better after her aging slowed or stopped and she decided to go to high school. **

**I have posted a link to the dress I describe in the story in my profile.**

I sighed as I entered yet another dress shop. Usually I LOVED to shop. Especially with my Aunt Alice and Aunt Rosalie. I mean, all I had to do was say I remotely liked something and I had it. Aunt Alice refused to let me have anything less than designer. Granted, we had had to tone down my wardrobe a bit when I decided to go to high school. I didn't need to be too ostentatious. That was my Daddy's favorite word about my Aunt Rose's car and Aunt Alice's wardrobe. But he's one to talk, he bought mom a Ferrari. Wish he would have bought me one once he decided I could drive, but noooooooo I wasn't allowed to have a sports car yet.

"Aunt Alice, you've made me try on a thousand dresses already. I really, really liked that green one in that other store."

"umm hmm." She wasn't paying me a bit of attention already scanning the racks and eyeing the sales lady as she approached.

"Aunt Rosalie…..you have to save me, please."

My Aunt Rose just smiled and squeezed my hand. "Just let her have her fun. Besides, it's not like you're tired or anything."

She had a point. As I had gotten older my aging had slowed down and I hadn't needed as much sleep. The way we figured it, I only had less than a year before I wouldn't need to sleep at all. As of now, I was only sleeping on average 2-3 hours a night. Technically I was six and half years old, but I looked around 17 or 18. If anyone besides our family ever saw my dad and I together, they assumed we were twins since I looked so much like him. Papa Carlisle figured by the time I totally stopped aging in a year or so I would probably look a few years older than my parents who were eternally frozen at 17 and 18. I had only been allowed to enter school in the past year since my aging had slowed enough that it wouldn't be noticeable.

"Yeah, but believe it or not as much as I love to shop I'm starting to get bored. Especially since she dismisses every dress I like." I crossed my arms and knew I was pouting, but it didn't matter.

Rose just laughed. "You only get to go to your first senior prom once, remember, just like your dad tends to bend towards the dramatic when it comes to you and your mother, your other aunt tends to bend towards the dramatic when it comes to events and parties. At least you get to pick out your dress. Ask your mom how the only prom she's ever been to went."

I tilted my head to the side and eyed my aunt curiously, but she wasn't giving in. I made a mental note to ask my mom when we got home.

Within minutes I was once again in a dressing room with what seemed like a whole year's worth of dresses. I tried them on, gushed over a few and my aunts would dismiss them. Where was my mother when I needed her? She would have ended this hours ago. Oh yeah, this was my wish, to spend a weekend in New York with my aunts. Never again, at least not when we were on a mission. We only had so much time available to us since we could only shop after dusk, but still, they knew how to pack a lot into a small time frame.

I had gotten to the bottom of the pile and had only one dress left. It was a deep purple color. I could tell from the cut it was fitted all the way to the floor and had a sheer train. I turned the dress around and gasped. I was all about the details and on the back of this dress was a beautiful beaded butterfly design. If Aunt Alice and Rosalie didn't like this dress, too bad, I was insisting. I wiggled my way into the dress and zipped it up and took a deep breath before I stepped out of the dressing room.

Finally, finally, finally we were back at our hotel. I carefully twisted my long curls up into a pile on top of my head before submerging myself into a pile of bubbles and hot water. This was awesome. I had spent the evening with my aunts, bought a designer dress and was now holed up in a posh luxury hotel room till after sunset tomorrow so we could catch our flight back home. Sometimes I absolutely loved my life. As I played with the bubbles I blushed a little trying to anticipate what Jacob's reaction would be to my dress. I hated to know what my dad would think. It was very fitted and there wasn't much to the back except for that butterfly. But I would deal with that when we got home.

--

"Edward….promise me."

I growled in frustration. Bella just glared at me. "What kind of dress did Alice and Rose buy her if you're having to make me promise to be nice when I see it. It's frustrating enough, all three of them are keeping it out of their heads."

Bella smiled and walked towards me and wrapped her arms around my waist resting her chin on my chest and looked up at me. "It's her first prom Edward, she just wants her father to approve the dress. It's like a rite of passage or something. Girl goes shopping with mom or aunts in this case and then has to come home and model the dress for her Daddy's approval."

"What if I don't approve?"

"Doesn't matter, they don't have time for another shopping trip and Alice says she refuses to let her have anything other than from Paris, London or New York and since you only agreed to let her go as far as New York with them….."she trailed off as she smirked back at me.

"Have you seen it?"

"Yes."

"Do you approve?"

"It's a beautiful dress and she's beautiful in it."

I remembered the last few prom dresses Alice and Rose had bought themselves. They were usually the talk of the school. They were always silky and satin things, low cut, or really short or had slits that went all the way up to well……or no backs, or no midsection. That was fine for them. Not my baby girl though. I knew what teenage boys thought. I could hear their thoughts. I groaned at the idea of a bunch of human teenagers drooling over my little girl. Granted she looked 18 and like a model and she was probably stronger than any of the guys at her school even without full vampire strength but, she was only a child.

"She's not a child Edward. She's not that normal six year old you imagine sometimes."

Bella could read my mind amazingly well. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "I know, I know, I know….it's just I don't want those boys at that school drooling over her."

"Jake will be with her."

"Yeah, well, I don't want to have to hear his thoughts either. I'm getting to the point where it's making me nervous to be in the same room with the two of them. They really haven't acted on any feelings yet, but they are getting there. They are both recognizing their affections for one another are changing to something more romantic and not so much brotherly/sisterly."

Bella leaned up and kissed me. She had a way of calming me down that no one else had.

"We knew that would happen eventually, Edward."

"I know, I just…….I just want my little girl to be my little girl for a bit longer. Is that so bad?" The only thing that ever bothered me was the fact that we had only so much time for our daughter to be young. Granted she was never really young because even from her birth she was amazingly intelligent. We _would_ get to spend eternity with her. Her being half vampire also made her immortal. That was on the plus side.

"No, I miss her younger _days _as much as you do. But I'm extremely proud of the young woman she's become. Now come on, she's anxious, you're keeping her waiting and her daddy isn't supposed to do that."

Bella grabbed my hand and led me to the main house where Nessie was hid out with her aunts.

I entered the back door behind Bella. She made her way over to where Esme was standing and I eyed Jasper and Emmett on the couch playing a video game. Carlisle was coming down the stairs from his study and Rose was behind him. Great, this was going to be a family event. Everyone wanted to watch me lose my cool over whatever designer dress my sisters had bought for my daughter.

_Be nice, Edward, she's excited. _Rose thought as she walked by. Alice came skipping down the stairs next and went straight to Jasper and snuggled into his lap without him missing a move on the video game.

I turned back around and looked up to the second floor landing. Nessie poked her head around the corner. I could tell she had pulled her curls up so they weren't hanging lose. "Daddy?"

"I'm here baby. I hear you found a pretty dress. Let me see."She pulled her head back around the corner and a second later she emerged.

She hesitated at the top of the stairs and eyed me skeptically. I clenched my hands real quick where I had them hidden behind my back and then let my arms relax as I brought them to my side. She made her way down the stairs and I stepped up to meet her as she took the last step onto the floor. She was eyeing me nervously.

I took her hand and held it up for her twirl around once for me. I wasn't impressed with how tight that thing fitted her, nor the slit that ran against her left leg. I held in a gasp as she turned her back towards me. There was no back to that dress. Once she had made one full turn I lowered our hands but kept hers in mine as I stepped back to get another look. Nessie took her free hand and reached up and touched my cheek. She showed me how excited she was about school and having friends and feeling normal. She was excited about prom and graduation. She showed me how much she loved this dress and how pretty it made her feel. I sighed as she dropped her hand and eyed me curiously.

Well, when I looked at it again I noticed the fact that the color made her pale skin and hair shine. It was as if that individual dress had been made for her. She was beautiful. My baby girl all grown up. It seemed only yesterday I had held her in my arms for the first time and hummed to her, her lullaby as we waited for her mother to wake up.

Now she was in high school and going to her senior prom. She had always been special and she would always belong to Bella and I. She was a bit of us both. But, she wasn't our little girl anymore, she was a young lady. I might miss all the years as a small we could have expected with a normal family, but I knew with certainty that just like with Bella, I would have Nessie for eternity as well. I wasn't going to ruin her happiness by being petty.

I knew that all the words Bella had spoken over the past weekend were true. She was a young woman, not a child and she could take care of herself and would always have Jacob and the rest of her family with her. It was time to release a bit of my hold.

"Daddy?" I knew she was worried; she only ever called my name if I was across the room or if I hadn't responded to her quickly.

"It's beautiful baby. I'm sure it's a great dress on its own, but you are what makes it beautiful. I hope you have a great time at the prom next weekend."

Nessie glowed and gave me her big wide smile and ran the few steps distance between us and hugged me as tight as she could and whispered "Thanks Daddy."


End file.
